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Weekly Reflection     


November 8, 2011

This evening is Trinity’s annual Charge Conference.  We will be gathering with other United Methodist churches in the county at Heritage UMC beginning at 6pm. Each year at Charge Conference we meet with our District Superintendent to celebrate how God has blessed us this past year and to look forward to our future.   All are welcome to join us!

For the past 3-4 months both the Staff Parish Relations Committee and the Church Council have been clarifying our goals for the next year.  I think it is important to share these with the rest of the congregation so – here goes…

Based on all of the blessings that we have experienced as a church, our goals for 2011 are as follows:

Cultivate more servant leaders - especially in the area of worship (music, liturgist, etc), small group participants and leaders, and Congregational Care team.

 Consider how we may live into our blessedness as a congregation to reach out to our neighbors here in Waverly, Bremer/Butler County and across the Annual Conference.

 Send mission teams out to serve both near and far away.

 Continue to develop relationships with organizations within the community including Wartburg College, the ministerial association, the schools and the folks to our north at Waverly Homes.

 Launch a Sunday evening worship experience (perhaps starting with Advent)

The Staff Parish Relations report focuses on the expectations of the Congregation as well as the expectations of the Pastor.    Congregation expectations are as follows:

1.  The Congregation will live into their baptism covenant:   “When persons are baptized (and later confirmed or join on profession of faith) they profess their faith in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth; in Jesus Christ his only Son, and in the Holy Spirit.” Thus, they make known their desire to live their daily lives as disciples of Jesus Christ and live into their membership vows to support the church and the community of faith with their “prayers, service, gifts, presence, service and witness."

2. With the help of Trinity's new Director of Discipleship, members will seek to find their calling and plug into the Church's mission and be more dedicated in fullfilling their vows to the Church.

3. The congregation will continue to look for ways to help those in need, the marginalized and the least.

4. Trinity will be more purposeful in sharing our story of Christ's transforming love on a personal level as well as with local and regional media.

5.  Acknowledging that worship is our main point of Evangelism we commit to sharing our gifts to provide a meaningful worship experience for our guests as well as our members.

To carry out the mission/vision of the congregation, the expectations of the Pastor are as follows:

1. The Pastor will focus on leading us in passionate worship that casts a vison and leads us into discipleship.

2.  As the lead administrator, she is to cultivate the ministry team and the volunteer/servant leadership base to share the vision of Trinity UMC to make Disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the World.

3.  With the help of the Director of Discipleship, identify, engage and nurture members of the church who have spiritual gifts for small group leadership and train and encourage them to be small group leaders.

4.  Continue to nurture and support those who are called to visitation/congregational care and prayer with the goal of organizing teams of laity to walk alongside members who are in need.

5.  Provide urgent pastoral care for members of the congregation.

6.  The Pastor will continue to work on the best use and design of Trinity's worship space.

As you can see, we have some pretty ambitious goals for both the church and the Pastor to live into in but that’s the great thing about being people of faith – none of these are unattainable because we are reliant on God’s grace to equip and deploy us to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world!  We do this whenever we celebrate in worship, we learn about God’s love and when we go out to serve in Christ’s name!  To God be the glory for the great things he is doing at Trinity UMC!

In Christ, together

Pastor Deborah